Fatal Attraction

Rudy Giuliani Follows His Heart Straight to Donald Trump

Years ago, Rudy Giuliani donned an ill-fitting mauve dress and high heels, slipped on a blonde wig, and sprayed himself with perfume, enticing Donald Trump to bury his face in Giuliani’s mock bosom. The bit, a video for the Inner Circle party in 2000, was played for laughs at the annual event at the New York Hilton, where the local press and mayor converge every spring to roast each other. But the love between the two New Yorkers is no joke.

On Thursday, the former mayor made his fondness for the real estate billionaire official. “I support Trump. I’m gonna vote for Trump,” Giuliani told the New York Post, adding that he expected the Republican front-runner to win a majority of the Empire State’s 95 delegates. “It’s a question of how much he gets over 50 percent,” he predicted. “If he wins 70 to 80 delegates, Donald has a good shot of securing the 1,237 delegates to secure the nomination before the convention.”

Giuliani, still an influential Republican in New York, had implicitly supported Trump for months, defending him on Fox News and serving as an informal advisor. While he had met previously with Ted Cruz, he ultimately spurned the Texas senator after he decried Trump’s “New York values” in January. “I can make fun of New York. But you can’t!” he exclaimed to the Post. A meeting between the two, planned for Thursday, reportedly never took place.

Trump, who is dominating polling in his home state with more than 50 percent support among Republicans, did not receive Giuliani’s endorsement, but not because the former mayor is ashamed of his bosom buddy. Giuliani told The New York Times that, as a delegate, he’ll have more sway at the Republican National Convention if he hasn’t officially endorsed a candidate when he arrives.

“He’s my friend, and I think of the candidates, of the choices that I have, he’s the best choice for president,” Giuliani explained to the Times, though he said he disagreed with his plan for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants—a small policy disagreement among pals. A plum cabinet position in the future Trump administration—attorney general, perhaps, if Chris Christie nabs the V.P. slot—cannot be far behind.

Donald Trump’s Mansions and Saddam Hussein’s Palaces Are Basically the Same

The Grand Staircase

In comparing the palatial estates of Donald Trump and Saddam Hussein, what better place to start than magnificent stairways. Every demagogue needs one; it’s part of the essential decor package, imperative for Making an Entrance, issuing grand pronouncements, or in the inevitable Hollywood biopic, raining indiscriminate hellfire down upon disloyal minions from a gold-plated AK-47, staving off a palace coup.

On the top: The “foyer” of the Donald’s former manse in Greenwich, Connecticut.

On the bottom: A “double-revolution staircase,” constructed of white marble with a mother-of-pearl overlay, in one of the three reception palaces at Saddam Hussein’s presidential compound in his hometown of Tikrit. (Note the third, uppermost staircase, which is the architectural equivalent of Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel explaining that his guitar amplifiers are superior, because “these go to 11.”)

Photo: Top, courtesy of Vista; bottom, by Patrick Robert/Corbis.

The Gold and the Beige

It’s the perfect palate for a photo op, whether you’re entertaining a beauty queen, glowering at a diplomat, or feigning interest in a reporter. The wall sconces, candelabra, and chandeliers are the perfect lighting sources to set the mood to match your mood—from the soft glow of seduction to the white-hot glare of merciless intimidation.

On the top: A cozy seating area in the Donald’s Mar-a-Lago Club, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Bottom: A sitting room in one of Saddam’s Baghdad palaces. During the U.S.-led occupation, the palace was converted into a hotel for visiting dignitaries.

A Grand Entranceway

On the top: The Donald strikes a pose in the atrium of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, 1999. It is currently the site of most of Trump’s remote TV interviews.

On the bottom: The central rotunda of Saddam’s Al Faw palace (also known as the Water Palace), in Baghdad. The 62-room palace was built in the early 1990s to commemorate Hussein’s victory over the Iranians in the Al-Faw Peninsula, in 1988, and eventually became the headquarters for coalition forces in Iraq.

The Grand Staircase

In comparing the palatial estates of Donald Trump and Saddam Hussein, what better place to start than magnificent stairways. Every demagogue needs one; it’s part of the essential decor package, imperative for Making an Entrance, issuing grand pronouncements, or in the inevitable Hollywood biopic, raining indiscriminate hellfire down upon disloyal minions from a gold-plated AK-47, staving off a palace coup.

On the top: The “foyer” of the Donald’s former manse in Greenwich, Connecticut.

On the bottom: A “double-revolution staircase,” constructed of white marble with a mother-of-pearl overlay, in one of the three reception palaces at Saddam Hussein’s presidential compound in his hometown of Tikrit. (Note the third, uppermost staircase, which is the architectural equivalent of Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel explaining that his guitar amplifiers are superior, because “these go to 11.”)

Top, courtesy of Vista; bottom, by Patrick Robert/Corbis.

The Gold and the Beige

It’s the perfect palate for a photo op, whether you’re entertaining a beauty queen, glowering at a diplomat, or feigning interest in a reporter. The wall sconces, candelabra, and chandeliers are the perfect lighting sources to set the mood to match your mood—from the soft glow of seduction to the white-hot glare of merciless intimidation.

On the top: A cozy seating area in the Donald’s Mar-a-Lago Club, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Bottom: A sitting room in one of Saddam’s Baghdad palaces. During the U.S.-led occupation, the palace was converted into a hotel for visiting dignitaries.

Top, by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage; bottom, by Max Becherer/Polaris.

Programmed to Receive

Every potentate needs a formal reception area to fill with supplicants, family retainers, and hordes of “yes” men. Right? Of course! Yes, sir! Let’s build a wall!

On the top: Reception hall at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, set for Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to model Vanessa Haydon in November 2005.

On the bottom: The elaborate circular conference table at one of Saddam’s palaces in Tikrit.

A Grand Entranceway

On the top: The Donald strikes a pose in the atrium of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, 1999. It is currently the site of most of Trump’s remote TV interviews.

On the bottom: The central rotunda of Saddam’s Al Faw palace (also known as the Water Palace), in Baghdad. The 62-room palace was built in the early 1990s to commemorate Hussein’s victory over the Iranians in the Al-Faw Peninsula, in 1988, and eventually became the headquarters for coalition forces in Iraq.